The Perfect StormThe mayhem and misery engulfing New Orleans and its surrounds is more than a human tragedy of mammoth proportions, it is the product of a convergence of events that could shift our worldview every bit as much as the attacks on September 11, 2001.

Industrial: Wrong TurnRadical labour reform is on the horizon but some workers, like Sydney bus driver Yvonne Carson, have seen it all before, writes Jim Marr.

Unions: Star SupportIt wasn't just families who backed workers' rights at The Last Weekend, but a bunch of musicians who set the tone, writes Chrissy Layton.

Workplace: Checked OutGlenda Kwek asks you to consider the plight of the retail worker, and shares some of her experiences

Economics: Sold OutThe Future Fund and industrial relations reform are favourite projects of the PM and the Treasurer. Both are speculations on the future and the only guarantee with them is that you will be worse off, writes Neale Towart.

Politics: Green BannedThe impact of new building industry laws won’t be confined to one industry, writes CFMEU national secretary John Sutton.

History: Potted HistoryLithgow is a place with a proud history as a union town. The origins of broader community solidarity lie in the early industrial development of the town and the development of unions. The Lithgow Pottery dispute of 1890 was a key event.

International: Curtain CallThe curtains have opened for East Timor’s young theatre performers, thanks to a Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA project.

Review: Little FishAt last! An Aussie film with substance, suspense and a serious dose of reality, writes Lucy Muirhead

Poetry: Slug A WorkerIn a shock development, the Federal Treasurer, Peter Costello, gave a ringing endorsement to the poetry pages of Workers Online, writes resident bard David Peetz.

PM’s Spin Hit for Six

Aussies believe John Howard is coming after their penalty rates, annual leave entitlements and overtime payments, according to new polling.

Nearly two thirds of respondents in a marginal electorates survey said the Prime Minister's radical workplace agenda would be "bad" for the average worker, while 62 percent thought Australians would be "worse off" under individual contracts.

The poll of 614 people, living in marginals Australia-wide, was conducted by Melbourne-based, MarketMetrics Research, between August 19 and 24.

It found a high level of awareness of the government's workplace agenda, and strong rejection of Canberra's "higher wages, better jobs" spin.

More than three quarters of respondents said they had heard a lot or something about Howard's proposals, and 75 percent rejected his claim they would lead to better pay.

There was overwhelming support for laws that would enshrine rights to collective bargaining and union representation. Eighty seven percent of respondents thought union membership and collective bargaining should be legally enforceable rights.

The survey results were unveiled by the AMWU at federal parliament, last week.

National secretary, Doug Cameron, said they showed the public was not being taken in by the government's taxpayer-funded propaganda blitz.

"People are rightly concerned and wary," he said. "Workers know individual contracts will lead to a loss of conditions and entitlements, and that families will be much worse off."

Cameron was joined by two members, Keith Brown and Lesley Weers, who have first-hand experience of the frustrations caused by a system stacked against employees.

Brown, from Morris McMahon in Sydney, and Hawker de Havilland delegate Weers, have been involved in protracted disputes where employers have flatly refused to negotiate collective agreements, in the face of overwhelming votes in their favour.

They shared their experiences with a range of Senators and MPs.

Key results of the latest polling showed ..

- 41 percent of respondents had head a "lot" and 36 percent about "some" of the federal government's proposals

- 64 percent believed the changes would be bad for ordinary workers

- 62 percent felt that people who went onto individual contracts would be worse off, 30 percent felt they would be "a lot worse off"

- 64 percent felt people would be likely to lose penalty payments

- 58 percent thought people would be likely to lose annual leave loadings

- 57 percent said workers would be likely to lose control over their working hours

- 56 percent thought paid overtime was likely to go

- 54 percent thought job security was likely to diminish

- 86 percent supported laws that would compel employers to bargain collectively, if a majority of workers wanted to